By Shirley Shuman
Individuals headed to the Gerald Freeman campground or just passing through now have the advantage of a trading post nearby. Matt and Lindsay Carney recently opened theirs at the site of what was once Kanawha Run Trading Post. “This is definitely an adventure for us,” Lindsay Carney said. “We’re excited. ”Their decision to open the business came after years of living in different areas all over the United States. Matt Carney was a pipeliner, and the family traveled with him from job to job.
The new owners have completely remodeled the inside of the store. They offer everything one would expect in a trading post: ice, beer and bait along with milk, bread and a variety of other products. “Anything that people forget when they go camping, we probably have,” Carney noted.
Lindsay Carney explained that she and Matt had tired of moving constantly. A few years ago, they bought a new house across the lake from the campground. “After 12 years of moving, we wanted something different. We were tired of being on the road,” she said. The Carneys had come to this area four years ago for work “and “loved it.“ That helped them make the decision to move here. Also, their children’s grandparents live in Ohio, and they wanted to be closer to them. Lindsay Carney’s grandparents lived in Southern West Virginia, so the two aren’t strangers to West Virginia.
She noted that their sons, 16 and 11, enjoyed the moving they’ve done, and their education was smooth because she homeschooled them. “I homeschooled them so they didn’t face changing schools constantly,” Carney said. She also chose to homeschool her sons so she “can provide features that schools don’t provide.” She will continue the homeschooling.
The trading post will be open seven days a week. Summer hours are 7 a.m.—10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. They accept EBT along with debit and credit cards.